Trapped
by Jewel08
Summary: Contrary to what is believed, there was someone trapped in the death game Sword Art Online long before that fateful launch day. Someone known all over the galaxy, trapped by Akahiko Kayaba to help create SAO. Now he roams the game, hoping that he will be able to save 10,000 people from death. It's a good thing the Doctor has experience, no?


**AN: Yes! I'm finally starting my doctor Who/Sword Art Online crossover that I've been holding onto forever! I had a couple chapters written, but then I read them over, and I decided they were absolute rubbish. So I had to start all over again. I'm happy with the rewritten version, so now I'm releasing it to the world!**

 **Remember, this follows the anime, not the manga for Sword Art Online, so spoilers, I guess? For both fandoms, actually.**

Chapter One

The Doctor felt tired. So very, very tired. His head ached like someone had been pounding on it for hours without a break, and the last Time Lord couldn't feel any of his limbs anymore. No sound came from his throat when he tried to speak, and the darkness that surrounded him... seemed infinite.

The Doctor's only companion in that darkness was a voice, familiar and untrustworthy. It came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, offering the Doctor no help, only meaningless apologies.

"I'm sorry Doctor," Akahiko Kayaba said. "But your mind is absolutely extraordinary, and I need your help with finishing the game..."

The darkness finally consumed the Doctor, and he fell into blissful oblivion.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Akahiko Kayaba, the creator of the NerveGear technology and the yet-to-be-announced VRMMORPG Sword Art Online, stood next to the comatose body of the Doctor. He looked at the screens monitoring the other man, making sure nothing was wrong.

The Doctor looked very human, with spiky brown hair, sideburns, and even a blue suit with red Converse trainers. He'd also had a brown trench coat, which was now hanging near the doorway. Yet the man was anything but ordinary.

The two geniuses had met only a couple weeks before or so, when the Doctor introduced himself to the head of Argus. Kayaba had ben struggling with the scenery, NPCs, AIs, and monsters of SAO; he was drawing a blank on how they should look, talk, and interact with the 10,000 players that would experience the game.

But the Doctor had talked about some of the places he'd seen and the people he'd met, and Kayaba knew. The Doctor would be the key to SAO.

When the Time Lord came back, Kayaba managed to catch him off-guard and knock the man out. Using a NerveGear, the Doctor's memories were even now being examined and analyzed, reimagined as the virtual world of Aincrad.

Akahiko Kayaba let himself smile, just a quick upturn of the lips. Soon, his steel castle, floating in the sky, would be a reality.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

When the Doctor opened his eyes, it was to find himself in an achingly familiar place. A burnt orange sky and grass that looked almost golden. The trees had silver leaves that flashed in the sunlight.

"Gallifrey...?" the Doctor whispered, brown eyes wide.

"Not quite," a voice said from behind him. The last Time Lord turned to find the man who'd knocked him out and sent him here... wherever 'here' was. "Welcome to Aincrad, Doctor. This is Sword Art Online, the world you've helped me create."

The Doctor looked around him, then back at Kayaba. "You... you used my memories?"

For the first time, the faintest hint of longing crossed Kayaba's face. "Every memory you had was... indescribable, Doctor. All the things you've seen, the planets you've visited... all were used to make Aincrad what it now is. In a way, you _are_ SAO. As much its creator as I am."

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "Why did you bother using me? What are you planning, Kayaba?"

"One month."

The Doctor frowned. Huh?

"Sword Art Online, SAO, will be released to the public one month from now. On the day of the official launch, I will explain. Be sure to be in the Town of Beginnings on Floor One, Doctor."

Akahiko Kayaba looked at Aincrad, then to the watch on his wrist. "I must leave you now, Doctor, but I imagine you'll be spending all your time exploring this world you helped create, and trying to escape from it."

Kayaba gave one final nod to the horror-stricken Doctor and vanished from the game.

"What have I done...?"

 **Did you guys like it? I hope it's something different, since there's only one other story in this crossover. So, the gist of this chapter is (in case you got confused) the Doctor met Kayaba, started talking about all the experiences he's had while traveling, Kayaba thinks that he could use him to help create Aincrad, knocks him out and hooks him up to a machine, then starts using the Doctor's memories. So that's why things look like Gallifrey, especially on Floor One. I'll go into more detail in other chapters.**

 **Please leave a review for this poor author!**


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